Understanding Riki
by Spring Witch
Summary: For those of us who love both Ai no Kusabi and Volume 1 of Taming Riki. Riki runs into someone else from his past, and regardless of their closeness, Iason can't bring himself to hate her. can she help him to better understand his Pet? Rated T... for now.


OK, so I watched Ai no Kusabi a few months ago, and was decidedly unhappy with the end. To put it bluntly, this is more of a fanfic for Kira Takenouchi's _Taming Riki_ more than it is Ai no Kusabi. It funny really, I'm writing a fanfic for a fanfic. So Kira, if you happen to stumble across this, I hope you like it, even though I've only read Volume One (Living at home sucks!). Everyone else, please enjoy! this goes out to everyone who doesn't have access to the other _Taming Riki_ volumes, like me.

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters other than Mercedes and Ariella.**

* * *

"Whatcha looking at?" Riki asked his master and lover.

"Applications from people who want to replace Odi and Tai while they are in Aristia." Iason sighed. "But I need brains, not brawn for Odi's job, and I seriously question the hygiene of most of these che… cooks."

"I might be able to recommend someone, Lord Iason." Odi said, entering the room. "At least for my job."

Iason nodded. "Anyone you can recommend has got to be better than the idiots that sent in their applications. Arrange and interview Odi." He said.

Odi nodded and left, dialing a number on his communicator. He returned soon after and said, "She's on her way."

"A woman?" Iason muse. "I never considered that possibility."

"Maybe having a girl around will be good." Riki added.

Around half an hour later, Freyn and Askel announced her arrival, and Iason told Riki to wait in the gardens for him.

"Can't I stay?" Riki demanded.

"Because I said so; now mind me, pet." Iason replied.

Riki pouted, and opened his mouth to continue his rant, but Iason cut him off. "Why don't you go and pick Aki up from the Academy. I sent Toma on an errand, and he won't make it back in time." He suggested.

Glad he at least had something to do, but grumbling all the way, Riki did as he was bid, and left.

* * *

"Odi leaves in a week, you have until then to learn the system." Iason said briskly, around fifteen minutes later.

"With all due respect, Lord Mink, I have my own methods; you're in safe hands." The young woman replied.

"I'm glad to hear it." Iason smiled.

They heard the door open and Aki's loud voice was suddenly ringing through the house. "Come," Iason said. "I'll introduce you to my charge and my pet."

Iason led the young woman into the living area, and Riki stopped in his tracks. "Mercedes!" he yelled, running to her and throwing his arms around her in a hug.

"Riki?" the girl seemed surprised, and she hugged him back.

"Where have you been?" Riki demanded. "You just vanished on us!"

"Father died, and mother thought I might be forgiven for what happened, but it didn't quite happen that way. I wound up in the security department for Commander Khosi. I learnt everything I know there. I met Odi around a year ago, and he set me up here, in Amoi."

Riki smiled. "Sounds like everything turned out alright for you." He looked around. "Where's the ankle biter?" he asked.

Mercedes smiled. "She's here." She replied. She turned to the boy standing impatiently beside Riki. "And what might your name be, my little Lord?" she asked.

"Aki." The boy replied. "I'm nine."

"Well Lord Aki, I have a daughter a few years younger than you. Can I trust you to look after her for me?" Mercedes asked him seriously.

Aki nodded vigorously, thinking that this was a good job for 'Commander Aki' to have.

"Where's she at?" Riki asked.

"She's right here, Riki." Daryl's voice said, and he entered the room with a little girl on his hip. He smiled at the woman. "She's a wonderful little girl, Mercedes." He said.

"Thanks Daryl." Mercedes answered.

"She takes after her mother." Riki smiled.

"Might I inquire as to how you two know each other?" Iason asked, jealous of the way Riki and Mercedes had their arms around each other in a hug.

"I lived in Ceres for a year when I was fourteen." Mercedes replied.

"How did you come to be in Ceres if you weren't born there?" Iason queried, "If I'm not mistaken, you Alphazenian, correct?"

"Correct." Mercedes answered. "My full name is Mercedes Carolina Herrera."

Iason raised an eyebrow. "Herrera? As in Senator Herrera?" he asked.

"Yes, he was my father." Mercedes said.

"What happened to land you in Ceres?" Iason inquired.

"I got pregnant." Mercedes said, reclaiming her daughter from Daryl's arms. "Father was so angry that he… forced me to leave home, and completely cut me off. I had nowhere else to go, and that was when I met Riki and Bison. They pretty much saved me. Ceres isn't the safest place on a good day, but it's worse for a pregnant girl. Riki took care of me; even let me live with him in his apartment. Ariella was born in Ceres. When father died, mother thought that my brother might forgive me, but it never happened, and that was when I met Commander Khosi."

Riki frowned at the holes in her story, but said nothing. He moved his arm from around her waist and bent down to pick up Ariella. "You've grown since I last saw you kiddo." He told her, tickling her and making her giggle.

"I'm four!" she said with a small smile, and both Riki and Daryl laughed and hugged the little girl.

Riki handed Ariella back to Daryl so that he could hug her mother again. "It's great to see you Mercy." He said.

She laughed and returned his hug. "It's great to see you too, Riki."

Iason decided that he had had enough of their closeness. "Riki, please go to your room." He ordered.

"Why?" Riki demanded. "I'm talking to Mercedes. I haven't seen her in nearly four years!"

"Do as I say Riki!" Iason snapped.

"No!" Riki snarled back. "Why should I?"

"Because I am your master, and you are my pet." Iason shouted.

"So you keep reminding me!" Riki screamed. "So much for your love, huh Iason?"

Hurt and angry, Iason slapped him hard across the face. "Oh pet, you're just asking to be punished aren't you?" he said brokenly.

"Fuck you!" Riki screeched.

"Katze!" Iason bellowed. "Bring me the paddle."

Katze appeared with the paddle and handed it to Iason. The Blondie pulled Riki over to the table and yanked his pants down.

**WHACK!  
**

Riki cried out, reeling from the sting of the slap.

**WHACK!**

**WHACK!**

**WHACK!**

"Owww… fuck! That hurts you bastard!" Riki howled.

"Silence!" Iason barked.

**WHACK!**

**WHACK!**

"Stop it Iason! It fucking hurts!" Riki sobbed.

"You should have thought of that before you disobeyed me!" Iason snapped.

**WHACK!**

**WHACK!**

**WHACK!**

**WHACK!**

**WHACK!**

Finally, Iason lowered his arm and handed the paddle back to Katze, who returned it to its place. Riki leant against the table and sobbed.

"Pull your pants up and go to our rooms Riki." Iason said softly, his anger gone. Riki slowly did as he was told, limping towards his own rooms, rather than Iason's, which hurt the Blondie more. Usually, Riki would go to Iason's rooms, which both of them privately considered 'their' rooms.

Iason sighed. "Tai, how's dinner coming along?" he asked wearily.

The Aristian appeared from the kitchen. "It's almost ready, Sir Iason." He replied.

"I'll help." Mercedes said, patting Ariella on her head and following Tai into the kitchen.

* * *

Riki lay on his bed, face down to avoid hurting his already bruised and battered ass. Tears spilled down his cheeks in both pain and anger. He hated the way Iason always treated him like he was less than human.

A knock on the door roused Riki from his melancholy thoughts. "Riki?" it was Mercedes. "Dinner's ready." The door opened, and Riki smiled despite himself; trust Mercedes to already have the access codes figured out.

He felt the bed dip as she lay next to him and wrapped her arms around him. "A credit for your thoughts, honey." She whispered.

"My ass is fucking burning!" Riki complained, and she laughed, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"As much as your ass hurts, my dear, I don't think that that's what's on your mind." She said, running her fingers through his hair.

Riki sighed. "I just hate the way he treats me like I'm nothing." He explained.

"He treats you like a pet." Mercedes pointed out, and Riki frowned.

"That's another thing, he keeps telling me he loves me, but he still treats me like a lower being, even though I was granted citizenship. I want to be his equal; his lover, not a toy to play with and punish at will." He felt like crying. "I hate being a pet, but I can't be with him if I'm not one. It's not fair!"

Mercedes' mind filed this information away for some other time. "Iason has always been free; he does not understand what it is like to have freedom, only to have it taken away from him." She said simply. "It's not a question of how much he loves you, but of how well he understands your situation. Of course, some of the blame falls to Jupiter too; her new rules are good, but too little too late. No computer, not even a sentient one, can truly understand human emotions, or things like freedom."

Riki thought this answer was pretty cryptic, but nodded his agreement. It did make some kind of poetic sense when she said it like that. Besides, Mercedes was always spouting that diplomatic crap. It was bred in her.

She slapped his thigh lightly, "C'mon Riki, foods waiting" she said brightly. "Iason said you could have this, so you could sit comfortably." She added, holding up an Opiate-3.

"Fucking awesome!" Riki grinned and downed the painkiller.

"He also said that I could apply the Accelerator after dinner." She grinned.

"Awwww, fuck it!" Riki groaned, and she laughed, dragging him towards the dining area.

As she pushed Riki ahead of her, Mercedes reflected on what Riki had told her. It came as no surprise to her that her friend was so conflicted. This was the stuff suicides were made of. _He wouldn't be the first pet to fall for his master._ She thought grimly. She understood how Riki missed his freedom, but also realized that his freedom would be worth nothing without Iason.

_There's got to be a happy medium here. _She mused. _There has to be a way for them to be together, equally, without upsetting Jupiter._

She decided she would have to think on it. In the mean time, she had other work to do.

* * *

Katze and Daryl arrived back at their apartment not long after. "Ariella is such a cute kid." Daryl sighed.

"Yeah." Katze agreed.

"I wish we could have kids." Daryl said wistfully.

Katze looked sideways at his lover. The fact that they were both modified made that a problem. "Maybe we can adopt. There are plenty of kids in the Midas orphanage that could use a good home." He said.

Daryl looked up at him hopefully. "Really?" he asked, his eyes wide.

Katze chuckled and kissed him. "Really." He promised.

"Are we still going to ask Iason about reconstruction?" Daryl wanted to know.

"Of course sweetheart, I think we deserve it, don't you?" Katze reassured him. "And with Jupiter's addition to the General Code, there's no reason we can't be reconstructed."

"What are the new rules? I was still on bed rest when all that commotion happened." Daryl said.

"Any Furniture can be reconstructed provided they have the full consent and support of their master and that they present their case before Jupiter, who makes the final decision." Katze explained.

"It's probably more difficult than it sounds." Daryl pointed out. "Jupiter won't allow everyone and anyone to be reconstructed."

"That's true, but we have one distinct advantage." Katze said with a shrug.

"Oh? And what might that be?" Daryl demanded with a grin.

"Iason." Katze said simply.

"Good point." Daryl laughed. Working under Jupiter's favourite would definitely work to their advantage. _I hope. _Daryl thought.

* * *

Odi looked up and smiled as Tai entered his room. "Hey love." He said as he gladly accepted the younger man's kiss.

"Hey." Tai whispered in return, gracing his lover with one of his sweet smiles. Sometimes, Odi still couldn't believe that this beauty had agreed to be with him, especially after everything they went through.

"What're you thinking about love?" Tai asked him as they snuggled together in their bed.

"I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you." Odi replied, hugging the boy tightly to him.

Tai blushed but said nothing, as he often thought the same thing himself.

Odi smiled and kissed the top of his head before changing the subject. "Are you looking forward to going home?" he asked.

Tai shrugged. "I don't know. I'm scared that my father will try to rope me into staying behind. But I still feel like I have to go and set things straight."

Odi looked down at him. "You never did tell me why you were suddenly so keen to go home." He said.

With a sigh, Tai pulled away slightly and sat up. "I never told you this because I thought you wouldn't want me."

Odi sat up as well and wrapped his arms around Tai's waist. "_Nothing_ could make me stop wanting you." He whispered. "Tell me."

Tai smiled up at him adoringly, hoping his answer would still be the same after he told him. "I am a member of the Aristian Royal family." Odi stared, speechless. "Until recently, we were so far down the line of succession that it didn't make much difference."

"You're _Royalty_?" Odi was shocked. "Wow… wait, you said 'until recently'."

Tai blushed. "The Prince and his entire succeeding line were slaughtered when the palace was attacked last month." He said quietly. "My father is next in line, which now makes me second in line to the Aristian throne."

Odi was shell shocked. "I can't believe it! Tai that's incredible."

Tai shrugged, embarrassed. "When father ordered me to return home, I told him I didn't want the throne. All I want to do is cook! Still, I want to do what I can to help him rebuild."

Odi pulled the boy to him and kissed him. "I'm so proud of you, my little prince." He told him. "I'm glad you could stand up for what you want. But you know, where ever you go, I'll be with you. I love you."

Tai smiled, and settled back down into the covers. "I love you too Odi." He replied sleepily.

He drifted off, glad to have Odi with him.

* * *

Riki was still feeling rather angry at Iason when the Blondie came into his bedroom that night. He once again felt the bed dip, but unlike Mercedes, he stayed sitting at the foot of the bed, watching him.

Finally the Blondie spoke. "You truly hurt me tonight Riki." He said softly. "How could you ever doubt that I love you?"

Riki sat up angrily. "Quite easily." He snapped. "If you love me so much then why do you treat me like you do?"

"You are my pet." Iason said simply.

"But that's just it, isn't it!" Riki shouted. "You can't have it both ways Iason! Either treat me like a pet, or treat me like a lover. Make a decision."

Iason was quiet for a long time. "I don't understand you." He said quietly.

"If you can't figure out something this simple Iason, then just leave me alone."

Too shocked and hurt to even reply to his words, let alone punish Riki, Iason left.

He decided to head into the living room to get himself a drink before heading out to the balcony.

He met Mercedes sitting out there, her legs dangling over the edge, a glass in her own hand. "I didn't give you permission to have a drink." He said mildly.

She glanced at him sideways as he joined her. "I may be a part of your staff Master Iason, but you do not own me." She replied, deliberately taking a sip of the wine in her glass.

He frowned at her. "You sound like Riki."

She looked up at him and grinned lopsidedly. "We're a lot alike. I wouldn't have survived in Ceres if not for him."

"He confuses me." Iason murmured. "I don't understand him."

Mercedes sighed. "It's really very simple Iason. You have never had your freedom taken away from you. He lives every day wondering what he's missing on the outside."

"I gave him a week of freedom, he shouldn't want anymore than that." Iason snapped.

"And that attitude is the reason why you will never understand him Iason. That week was never going to be enough." She drained her glass and swung her legs to the ground.

She turned in the doorway and said. "Sometimes love isn't enough, y'know."

And then she left to check on Ariella.

* * *

Okey Dokey, there's chapter one. I hope everyone enjoyed it, because I'm actually not sure how long it will take me to update. I just had these ideas floating around in my head after reading _Taming Riki _Volume 1 and decided that they had better stop floating and get them written!

Please review and tell me what you think. Flames will be used to keep me warm this winter, so don't bother. I'm actually a little a worried about this one for some unexplainable reason! All people who comfort me with reviews get an Ai no Kusabi plushie of their choice.


End file.
